The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-02-25
LOAu.,G A BIG SHIP.
AN INTERESTING SPECTACLE AT A
NEW YORK WHARF.

Heavy Bodies Handled with Ease.
A petroleum broker gets word from firm
in Valparaiso, Chill, that it wants 5000 gal
Ions of best refined petroleum, but can pay
only @ cents gallon, delivered. He goes on
Change and finds that the best he can do is to
get his oil from New York company at 16
cents. After talking with this ship agent and
that he chooses the most advantageous terms
which he can find, which are cents gallon
for freightage. Next he cOnsults an Insur-
ance broker and affects an insurance upon
his petroleum at a rate which amounts 70
Il cent per gallon. This leaves him profit
of ~ cents a gallon, or So for his morn
ing work.
Meanwhile the order is being carried out.
The oil is in the company's works at Hunters
Point, making that deIectable locality obi
ousIy odorous A lighter is sent for 1t and
the 5000 gallons put on board. This oil
may be packed in two different ways-in Or
binary barrels or in tin cans holding five gal
Ions each, two of which are boxed in lease"
of thin wood. This latter method Of packing
is employed mainly for fancy brands. A
word about lighters: They are broad, blunt
nosed. sloop -rigged boats, all deck except a
little hole of a cabin, and used about the har-
Dor for the transportation of merchandise to
and from vessels at anchor, or from wharf to
wharf They are thoroughly Unlocking, al
ways in the way, and only to be excused for
existing on the score of their great usefulness.
The lighters are on the rivers what the carts
are on the streets.
LADING THE VESSEL
The oil safely aboard the jolly captain and
his jolly crew of one set their sail and bowl
along at a snaiTs pace down the East river
until they heave alongside the Valparaiso
ship. Then the jolly captain sticks his pipe
in his hatband and the loading of the oil be-
gins A huge double pulley, technically
known as a block, is suspended between the
mastheads Just over the hatchway, and
through it is reeved rope long enough to
reach to the deck of the lighter on one side,
and, through a second block attached to the
planking, to a stationary engine on the
wharf on the other side. On board the vessel
itself staging is arranged, level with the top
of the bulwarks and reaching to the edge of
the hatchway, and then the men descend
periloUs and shaking ladders and disappear
in the echOing blacl1neSS beneath the lowest
deck. The oil is now in charge of the steve
dore-a man who makes a business of loading
and unloading vessels, hiring such labOrers
as he needs from the crowds of men hanging
about the wharves waiting for such chance to
earn dollar, and who are called longshOre-
men. All being ready the on the lighter
pile up eight or ten boxes in a double tier,
sling, and attach the iron hook at the end of
the tackle the man on the dock whistles a
shrill GO ahead!" to the engineer, whose
drum rapidly winds up the rope until the
Slingful of boxes swings over the deck, when
it is seized by brawny arms and guided over
the hatchway, when, obedient to the signal,
LET go!" the engineer permits his drum to
fly back, and the burden drops like shot to
the tune of "Stand from under!" There the
tackle is quickly unlocked an empty sling
sent up, and then the boxes are rapidly
slowed away, their number having been re
corded by the shipping clerk in his memo
randum book
The object to be attained-the absolute
necesSity-in slowing is to present all jostling
between articles of the cargo, and the boxes
of oil are crowded in sidewise, any ray to
hold Their tightly together, every crevice be-
ing filed with wooden wedges, so that there
shall not be the least movement. By this time
the men above have filled another sling, the
whistle sounds again, the tackle creaks, the
'yo-he-e-ye Oh-stand from un-n-n-der ~ is
heard and down comes another dozen cases
to help ill the belly of the insatiate monster.
When all the boxes are in the hold, the officer
in charge of the ship fills out the form of
ceipt called bill of lading." This is sent to
the Office of the owners of the oil, and If found
correct, several copies are signed by the cap
tain-one for himself, kept by the ships
owners, another for the shipper, and third,
at least, to be sent to the consignees in Valpa-
raise as a guide to their part of the transac-
ton, for the freightage is paid ordinarily
upon delivery of the consignment rather than
in advance.
OTHER MERCHANDISE.
The process above described Is substantially
that used in loading whatever be the mer
cllandise shipped. The main Misunderstanding
across the decks, broad gangplanks hung over
the ships side to prevent maTTing her paint,
complicated block tackle and steam engine TO
wind it or or horse power to walk away with
it, men to manage the great weight swung
about easily by the tackle-these are al
ways present, and only the details vary. If
barrels or the cylindrical iron cases in which
Caustic soda and other chemicals are packed
are TO be lifted there are attached to the end
of the hosting rope two iron arms with
curved ends, like half-closed fingers which
clutch the chains but often three or
four barrels or a heavy hogshead Of tobacco
or sugar are put in a sling. Bales of cotton,
rags, Jute, mating, etc, are clutched on OPP
posite sides by graphing hooks similar to
those used in handling ice, which dig into
their soft sides; but this will not do for bales
of cloth, upon which you see printed the
warning: Use no hooks" Iron rails are
caught with clamps just in the middle, and,
being thus balanced, are easily guided by one
man, end foremost, through a little door in
the side of the vessel, and landed on a hand
truck, whence they are again swung to their
resting place by tackle coming down through
the hatchwav. Railroad iron is much used
10, aa. l departing ships. 1t lies dead
-r5 raj ayers deep, down in the bot
to-. a. me leld nd the floors of each of the
lrwcr .-.>s a.e usually paved with a double
layer .r it, .g0l which the other cargo is
Iail tIe merchandise over it is light the
r-lls do--~ by cross ties of tim
|la which exceedingly heavy
1.. 4.- lie steyedore's men is
-raz--a lways are often just
s ,ao1 ackage through, and
....~ -s tween decks is so cir
cun1s.~''.' --- have hardly room
TO -,-r.lly landing the hogs
head, or boEed piano, or huge piece of ma
oTuer-. rs II IS lowered to them by the tackle.
by p~vlug it up and twisting it over with iron
hal-s, pulling it with cotton hooks and push
fnae it with Draw V hands and shoulders, sit
TING down fcuF 0r five in a row against a
buILhead and owing with their feet they
slowly work b dnwieldy mass into its cor
nar and brace firmly by wedges until its